GRANTHAM, Pa. – The Geneva College men's volleyball team's challenging non-conference schedule continued on Friday night when the Golden Tornadoes traveled to take on Messiah College. The Falcons returned most of their team from last season's squad that advanced to the Elite Eight of last year's NCAA Division III National Tournament, and though Geneva battled throughout, Messiah prevailed in straight sets 25-15, 25-21, 25-17. Geneva dropped to 3-8 overall, while Messiah improved to 5-3.
The matchup had a bit of a local connection, as Geneva senior Peter Barbato (Beaver Falls, Pa./Beaver County Christian) was going up against his younger brother Zac Barbato, as well as his former teammate in high school, Matt Knab, who are both contributors on Messiah's team.
Junior Byron Spear (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) had two early kills in the first set as Geneva hung with Messiah early on. With the set tied at 6-6, though, the Falcons scored four straight points to jump ahead. The Golden Tornadoes would close within three points, 15-12, but Messiah pulled away to win the set, 25-15. The Falcons hit .273, while Geneva hit -0.067 in the set.
Messiah scored the first four points of the second set, all on Falcon kills, with Geneva struggling to contain the Messiah attack. The Golden Tornadoes battled back to within 9-7 after a double block from junior Curtis Thomas (Arlington Heights, Ill./Christian Heritage Academy) and sophomore Carter Milroy (Colorado Springs, Colo./TCA College Pathways). However, the Falcons responded with an 11-4 run to build a 20-11 advantage. Two aces and a kill from Barbato helped Geneva pull within three points, 22-19, but that was as close as the Golden Tornadoes would get, dropping the set 25-21. The Falcons hit .344 in the set, while Geneva finished at .050.
Messiah used a 7-2 run a few minutes into the third set to take a 13-7 lead, again putting the Golden Tornadoes in a hole, and Geneva could never climb out, unable to slow down the Falcon attack. Messiah finished out the match, 25-17, with the Falcons hitting .600 in the set, while Geneva hit .200.
Barbato led the team with six kills and three aces. Junior Jake Williams (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin) added five kills. Thomas led the team with 19 assists, while junior Caleb Vander Plaats (Beaver Falls, Pa./Homeschool) had a team-high six digs. Geneva finished the match with an .043 hitting percentage, while Messiah hit .377. The Falcons were led by All-American Mason Nissley's 13 kills.
Geneva continues its busy weekend with two more challenging matches tomorrow in a tri-match at Lancaster Bible College. The Golden Tornadoes face Cairn at 12:00 p.m. and then play Lancaster Bible at 2:00 p.m.
Geneva College is a Christ-centered academic community that provides a comprehensive education to equip students for faithful and fruitful service to God and neighbor. Offering over 145 traditional undergraduate majors and programs, fully online Adult Degree Programs and high-demand graduate degrees, Geneva's programs are recognized for their high quality. Geneva has one of the top 100 undergraduate engineering programs in the nation, according to
U.S. News and World Report. Adhering to the truth of Scripture, a Geneva education is grounded in God's Word as well as in a core curriculum designed to prepare students vocationally to think, write and communicate well in today's world. Geneva was founded and is governed by the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America (RPCNA) and is a founding member of both the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) and IACE (International Association for Christian Education).
